1. Technical Field
The invention relates to the field of electrical connectors, and more particularly to repairable waterproof electrical connector assemblies capable of supporting multi-conductor cable and contact packages that are housed in a mechanically rigid connector assembly.
2. Background Art
Electrical connectors are used generally by automotive, marine, air, consumer and industrial product and process applications for the distribution of electrical power and signals. Virtually every item of modern-day life is affected by electrical connectors and whether they perform well or fail and require maintenance or replacement.
Of particular importance are connectors applied to underwater or water exposed environments and therefore need to be waterproof. The process of designing for waterproof performance or waterproofing existing connectors often renders them unrepairable requiring them to be replaced if they fail. Components of the connector assembly requiring attention for repair include its wiring, electrical inserts that interface with this wiring, and the contacts and pins designed to mate with system fixtures.
This invention teaches a design and method of providing an access port to an underwater connector housing so that removal of the insert and wire management can be achieved without replacing the entire connector. Adding this access capability greatly reduces the time required to repair a damaged cable assembly.
When damaged, by corrosion, electrical stresses, mechanical stresses, or other influences, the connector electrical insert usually cannot be removed from the housing, so the entire connector has to be scrapped and cut from the cable assembly.
Removing the connector requires a significant amount of time and in some cases requires shortening the length of the cable assembly, because in some cases the connector must be cut off completely to be able to disassemble. Cutting off the connector shortens the cable assembly and causes a risk of the entire cable being scraped, if the cable is now too short for the intended application.
Underwater connectors typically consist of an outer metal housing, electrical insert, an insert retainer, wiring and o-ring seals. The connector assembly is usually permanently attached to the electrical cable. The entire cable assembly, with the connector attached, is fabricated of one of two different methods: either oil filled pressure compensated or a molded assembly. Once the cable is assembled in either of these configurations and an electrical pin in the electrical insert is broken or damaged (during connector attachment for example), it is usually not possible to remove or service the insert without removing the entire connector from the cable.
Typically, in marine or other underwater applications, the connector assembly which has a malfunctioning electrical insert contains several pins that are missing or damaged effecting an entire section of the insert. This electrical insert cannot be removed from the housing or even reached typically, and therefore the entire connector has to be scrapped and must be cut from the cable assembly. It is often the case that the cable cannot afford to have its length shortened and must be replaced entirely. This is a daunting task as the other end of the cable assembly can be intricately connected to multiple sites at its functioning end.
Prior art defining connector assemblies is known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,916,193 issued to Varreng, Jan Sverre et al. on Jul. 12, 2005 discusses in situ repair. Specifically, the cable 20 is pushed through the aperture slit 17 of the rubber diaphragm 11 and through the rubber wiper 10; the compound 12 starts to be pressed out through the holes 8 by lifting the rubber layers 21 and 22 of the wiper 10 and the diaphragm 11, with the layers 21 and 22 covering the holes 8. The rubber diaphragm 11 and the rubber wiper 10 wipe off the water from the entering cable 20. In a second step, the cable 20 is pushed further into the chamber 19 and compound 12 is pressed out at the interface between the element 23 and the cable 20 and then through the holes 8 (col 4, 12-23). This art is suitable for repairing damage of subsea electrical cables used for heating subsea pipelines, but not for the construction and repair of multi-pin connector assemblies with removable electrical inserts.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,602,873 issued to Childers, Thomas W. on Aug. 31, 1971 discusses an opening that permits access. With the cap 20 off the container (FIG. 1), or the trapdoor 20A swung open (FIG. 2), or the slide door 20B slid open, the diver then inserts one hand through the opening 16 or 16A and grasps the second electrical connector, which he elevates in container 12 through interface 23 into fluid 21 until it is juxtaposed to the first electrical connector with which it is matingly connectable (col 4, 15-25). This art is suitable for enclosing connections underwater, but does not address the repair of multi-pin connector assemblies with removable electrical inserts.
US Published Patent Application No. 20030026662 to Vidal, Ronald J. et al. published on Feb. 6, 2003 discusses providing service access. The aim is to cut out a half shell aperture 422 to gain access to the cables within, as shown in FIG. 43. Preferably, the aperture in the pipe provides access for cable inspection and repair. The duct further has at least one opening or removable and resealable access panel that provides access to the interior of the duct. This art is suitable for enclosing connections underwater and allowing limited maintenance, but does not address the repair of multi-pin connector assemblies with removable electrical inserts.
However, such a repairable underwater connector assembly has not been used in the field of automotive, marine, air, consumer and industrial product design, manufacturing, and processing. Outdoor plastic and metal electrical boxes and connectors have utilized access covers to manage wires, but the use of the method of the present invention on an underwater connector is not known to have been applied. Specifically, existing known underwater connectors are not known to have an access port, for wire management and insert removal.
While the above cited references introduce and disclose a number of noteworthy advances and technological improvements within the art, none completely fulfills the specific objectives achieved by this invention.